Steven Everts

Are Europeans ready to pay a price for their own security? Make sacrifices? Actually, yes they. Contrary to what’s often claimed.

Have a look here.

Well that’s what UA FM Sybiha explicitly said so… yeah. Of course the ALSO need air defence, deep strike, money and plenty more. And we should give all that. It’s in our interest

Well FR and UK have said they would deploy post ceasefire. But numbers will be small and the nature of the backstop is nebulous. And Russia is a bad faith actor …

Ukraine FM Sybiha adds importance of security guarantees being ratified by US Congress.
Deterrence package and deep strike capability needed as well.

At #MSC2026 panel on security guarantees for Ukraine, NL FM Van Weel makes the correct point that we should not give Putin a veto on whether there can be other European counties deploying troops to Ukraine post ceasefire. That’s a sovereign choice belonging to Ukraine and its partners, not Russia.

YouTube video by Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA) What are the global risks to the EU in 2026? | Survey results

What are the global risks to the EU in 2026? The
@euiss.bsky.social and the @eui-eu.bsky.social
recently presented the Global Risks to the EU 2026 survey.

What were the main findings? 🎞️ Take a look at our video ➡️ youtu.be/DeuAXJB5QqQ
@erik-jones.bsky.social @sbeverts.bsky.social

Yes. That was precisely what prompted me. Scroll to the top.

Naar dit soort plekken gaat, heel concreet, je geld als je doneert voor generatoren aan het front. Deze man studeerde ooit in Utrecht. Nu vecht hij voor zijn land. Als je iets kunt missen, de generator is er binnen een week. We hebben al 3 ton! Het is belasting aftrekbaar (ANBI)

vvodiel.nl/doneren/

Nearly 500 US military strikes in 12 months - more than under Biden in four years.

From 'America First' to 'Foreign Policy-First'?

📊 Our interactive analysis of US foreign policy under Trump, by @gspataf95.bsky.social: ow.ly/OeQv50Y8Gaf

The thing is also that it’s easier to defend democracy in Europe if the US is not funding its opponents here. That’s why we in turn have a stake in democracy surviving over there - and should invest in its survival also there.

I recognise resources are scarce but it’s all connected.

It’s welcome of course but Ukraine’s security should not depend on the choices of a foreign, private company.

Fair enough. But we should be able to do more than one thing at the time.

Defend democracy everywhere.

Finally…

US government to fund Maga-aligned think-tanks and charities in Europe State department grants to spread ‘American values’ are part of Washington’s 250th anniversary celebrations

Maybe time for Europeans to openly fund democratic (small d) orgs in the US?

Where could change in Russia really come from - elites or society? @markgaleotti.bsky.social shares his take on Russia’s possible futures.

The Draghi speech is well worth your time. He is right to openly call for deeper integration because that’s what it takes to survive in a hostile world.

But then he ends on this, a message of hope. What Europe needs above all is self confidence and pride.

The word IF is the operative one here.

IF the democratic middle powers banded together, they would be a major force in global politics.

And they *are* more united than the BRICS which lack mortar.

So power to the ‘Carney coalition’!

Nato without America: Europe ‘thinks the unthinkable’ After the stand-off over Greenland, European leaders are having to consider what would happen if Washington leaves the military alliance

"This is not about changing the security bargain between the US and Europe. This is about Europe essentially finding itself alone with a partially hostile America.”

Good piece by @benhallnews.bsky.social and @henryjfoy.ft.com. The Greenland crisis may be over (for now) but trust has gone. Now what?

Nato without America: Europe ‘thinks the unthinkable’ After the stand-off over Greenland, European leaders are having to consider what would happen if Washington leaves the military alliance

America’s NATO allies have shifted from fearing US abandonment to fearing US hostility, and are now confronted to a new existential question: can the US security guarantee be trusted at all? @sbeverts.bsky.social rts.bsky.social in the @financialtimes.com

New Dutch coalition floats European version of ‘Five Eyes’ Incoming government says rising threats require faster and more proactive intel services.

Another interesting idea is to strengthen intelligence cooperation among a subset of European countries:

Freedom is not free, the slogan goes,

Note that new Dutch govt intends to fund part of its defence and security ramp up with a "freedom contribution”, ie income tax levy, raising more than €3 billion a year.

That is brave for modern politics. But the right choice IMHO.

Thanks for all this. Short version of the piece is indeed that we must have realistic expectations and be open eyed about where each is coming from. Then build on FTA to develop modular forms of cooperation around tech and security esp.

Given everything else going on, this makes a LOT of sense

Quote by Steven Everts in De Standaard: "This is not just about Trump. He is both a symptom and an accelerator of an America that is fundamentally changing anyway. [...] The ancestral ties with Europe grow weaker with every generation."

💬 For Trump, the transatlantic relationship is no longer one between allies, but a US-dominated order based on coercion rather than consultation and rules.

@sbeverts.bsky.social in @standaard.be on why Europe must detach from a worldview that no longer exists. www.standaard.be/economie/ste...

You have heard about that EU-India FTA? Read this Brief to understand that trade isn’t per se the main vector driving the partnership. The real action and potential are elsewhere. But unless we dive deeper into who wants what and why, we will not get far.

The world has changed, and so has the strategic context of EU-India relations. Expecting alignment won't work. A modular partnership, focused on practical cooperation in defence and innovation, is the way forward, argues Lizza Bomassi. ow.ly/14it50Y3KbM

Steven Everts kent Europa van binnenuit: “We moeten een nieuwe wereldorde opbouwen. Wat een verbindend idee” Het meest memorabele van deze dolle week waren niet de dreigementen van Donald Trump, maar het forse antwoord van Europa. “Wat wij Europeanen moeten onthouden, is dat tegendruk werkt”, zegt Steven Everts, een man die gepokt en gemazeld is in de Europese buitenlandse politiek.

Europa is niet zwak maar heeft wel een mentaliteitsverandering nodig. We moeten onze krachten omzetten in macht.

Mooi om na de stress-test van deze week met @standaard.be te praten over wat Europa nu moet doen: (€)

Issuing threats is almost cost free for Trump. That’s why he does it all the time

For the rest of us, it’s exhausting. That’s why we all look so tired….

Read the whole thread.

Eens. Maar het is ook dat door samen op te treden en resultaten te boeken, je meet eenheid creëert.

Nothing succeed like success.

Steven Everts kent Europa van binnenuit: “We moeten een nieuwe wereldorde opbouwen. Wat een verbindend idee” Het meest memorabele van deze dolle week waren niet de dreigementen van Donald Trump, maar het forse antwoord van Europa. “Wat wij Europeanen moeten onthouden, is dat tegendruk werkt”, zegt Steven Everts, een man die gepokt en gemazeld is in de Europese buitenlandse politiek.

Europa is niet zwak maar heeft wel een mentaliteitsverandering nodig. We moeten onze krachten omzetten in macht.

Mooi om na de stress-test van deze week met @standaard.be te praten over wat Europa nu moet doen: (€)

‘De rol van diplomaten is onder Trump uitgespeeld’, zeggen oud-diplomaten Internationale betrekkingen: Door de komst van Donald Trump werken de vertrouwde diplomatieke spelregels niet meer, zeggen oud-diplomaten. „Bij de Amerikaanse regering bestaat weinig respect of liefde...

Wat doe je als Trump je aandacht monopoliseert en zijn aanval politiek en ideologische van aard is?

Meebewegen of terugslaan?

En wat kan diplomatiek handwerk nog bereiken?

Groepsinterview in @nrc.nl